DOWN TO BASICS

Photo: View from the house in Clonbeg, Buncrana

We’ve been getting down to basics here at Clean and Green this week. Any chemical that was in the house has been safely disposed of. We are now, we feel, well able to tackle any dirty corner, stained and smelly carpet, grimy cooker or greasy window without the use of chemicals. Some people have asked me why we take the time and trouble to spend time looking into alternatives to chemicals in the home. The main reason stems from a couple of years ago when I was pushing one of my lads around a supermarket in the trolley whilst doing the weekly shop. I was happily filling the trolley with food and decided to get a multipurpose cleaner for the worktops. The one I chose was a clear liquid, which to me made it look fresh, natural and harmless. This was put into the trolley. Unbeknown to me the plastic container had a large crack in it. My lad, who was only about two at the time, got hold of it and put the dripping container to his lips. Within a second he was covered in about a pint of this potentially fatal product. I grabbed him, left the trolley full of food dripping with this poisonous liquid and rushed him home to get changed. Luckily he hadn’t swallowed any, but it was a near thing. This made me realise that with children around I wasn’t prepared to have these products in the house and safer methods needed to be found. That’s one of the reasons I have been looking for alternatives.

There is a help line to make a note of if you think your child has swallowed anything poisonous. They are very friendly and helpful should you need them, it’s the National Poisons Centre on Dublin 01 8379964 or 01 837 9966 (available in the phone book emergency numbers).

ALL PURPOSE CLEANERS



All purpose cleaner’s come in powder, cream or liquid form. These products are all very similar and work in the same way as all cleaners. They loosen grease and grime and allow it to be rinsed off surfaces. In order for these products to work as they promise to do, they are said to be far more concentrated than they need to be and could be watered down when you use them. Most of the products contain synthetic detergents, solvents to cut away the grease, bleaches and disinfectants. These are all irritating to the eyes, ears, nose and throat and of course poisonous if swallowed. We have found with our experiments that a pair of rubber gloves, some very hot water, and simple soap can cut away the grease just as well as these harsh chemicals.

RING AROUND THE BATH



To get rid of a bath ring recently we cleaned the bath with dry bicarbonate of soda and a cloth. The ring soon disappeared and after a light rinse the bath was ready for use. With chemical cleaners it is important to rinse very thoroughly to avoid skin irritation. The only side effect with bicarb is that it softens the water in the bath if it isn’t rinsed away.

OTHER IDEAS



Try to avoid a big build up of grease in and around the cooker, these jobs can get very big if you neglect them for a long time.
For tough grease make a strong solution containing ½ tsp of washing soda (sodium carbonate) 2tblsp distilled white vinegar ¼ tsp liquid soap and 2 cups of hot water. Mix these up in a spray bottle. Wear rubber gloves and spray onto the surfaces, leave for a minute or two, and then clean off.



BICARBONATE OF SODA





Bicarbonate of soda makes a great scouring powder. If you wanted a fresh smell to go with it, just add a few drops of essential oil, lemon and lavender are refreshing for example. Keep this mixture in a jar for when it is needed.

If you have stains to remove off the worktops, then a mixture of bicarbonate of soda mixed with a small amount of borax and soap flakes is said to be effective. The borax is a bleaching agent and should be handled with care. I haven’t tried this idea because I don’t like borax in the house. It is a natural product but I think it is too dangerous to have in the house with children around.

Hot water and steam are both great cleaners but don’t forget the magic ingredient to go with all these methods of cleaning…. Elbow grease!

As with all of the ideas on the site, test on a small area first.


Please keep all types of cleaning products well away from children.



Household